One Night in Nibelheim
by Janiqua
Summary: This is Tifa's story, and her memories, even if she does not understand them, of the true and actual events that took place in Nibelheim five years ago.


**A/N:** This story has major spoilers for Final Fantasy Seven. I don't know if it has already been done – that's always the case with me, I know – and if it has, I'm not stealing someone else's idea. This is just my interpretation, and I hope it's satisfactory enough for you all to read it and feel the need to review it. 'Cause I love reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FFVII.

**ooooooo**

"_Why do you think she always sits there?"_

_"I dunno. It isn't healthy."_

_"It's almost like she's waiting for someone."_

_"Who?"_

_"Why are you asking me? I don't know?"_

_"I hope she's okay…"_

Such were the whispered words that passed between the people of Nibelheim every evening.

It was a sad affair, really. Tifa Lockheart was only fifteen. She was too young to keep such a sad face as the sun set behind the mountains. Every day, at the same time, she would arrive by the small town's gates, and there she would sit and stare off into the distance until the stars came out.

There was never a night that begun without her doing so. Though she had only picked up the routine two years back, at the very most, it seemed like her evening meditations, if that was what they were, had been habitual for as long as any could remember. They had grown to become a part of her.

After all, no one could look at the young girl anymore without seeing in their minds the sorrow or the loss that was painted on her face every evening. Even in the peaceful mornings and warm afternoons, when Tifa's smiles lit up the town, and her laughter melodically inspired joy, the people would wonder about her, unable to fathom the mystery she became at dusk.

_"The poor dear, she must still be recuperating from the loss of her mother."_

_"Either that or the fall she took. You remember? The accident on the mountain?"_

_"How could I forget?"_

_"Unconscious for an entire week! She had the whole town in a panic!"_

_"The affair was indeed misfortunate…"_

None of them knew the truth.

But how could they?

Tifa had not told anyone. Not even her three closest friends. They wouldn't understand. Tifa herself didn't understand.

She wasn't waiting for some remnant of her mother to descend from the ethers like some ghost. Her mother had died so long ago… Tifa had been devastated. But now…

Maybe it was that she _was_, in fact, still recovering from the accident up on Mt. Nibel. Not that she remembered it. It, too, had happened so long ago, right after her mother's death.

To be perfectly honest, Tifa herself knew nothing of it. She did not remember climbing up the mountain when she had been a small child. She did not remember pursuing the fictitious spirit of her mother that her youthful imagination had once created. And she did not remember the fall, the accident, or what happened after that.

All she knew for certain was that one morning she had simply awoken with no fear of the mountain whatsoever. And since then, she had been climbing it ever since – as if she had been born solely to thrive upon that mountainside.

But in her subconscious, maybe she was still recovering.

Every now and then, she used to suffer from bad dreams. Flashbacks, perhaps. Upon waking in the morning, she would not understand what they had meant, or why they were so familiar to her. She dreamt of being on the mountainside… the sun striking down on her… even as she breathed in the crisp mountain air. She dreamt of Cloud… Cloud Strife… her neighbor… who had never been anything _more_ to her than just a neighbor… but who still had, nevertheless, a sense of devotion about him… a sense of concern… and protectiveness that had brought him out there with her when no one else had dared to follow.

Tifa spoke of these things with no one. Not with her friends… not even with her father. She had never given much credence to dreams. She probably never would.

But why did she go to him, then, that night, two years ago, at the well? Why did that sense of protectiveness she felt from him in her vaguest of dreams bring her to coax that promise out of him? That promise to save her, if she should ever have the need?

She didn't understand. They had never been close. But nevertheless there was something between them that she shared with no one else. And she wasn't even consciously aware of what that shared experience might be. She had no clear remembrance of it whatsoever.

When he had left, she had felt the loss. A similar loss to that which she had suffered as a child after her mother's death. And she wanted him back. Every day she _longed_ for his return. He was always on her mind.

For two years she had sat out by the gates of Nibelheim, waiting for him every evening. If anyone knew that it was a boy her heart yearned for, they would have criticized her and her feelings as the senseless infatuation that all naïve youths in the world foolishly experience. She was only fifteen! What did she know of anything? Tifa could almost _hear_ their condescension.

No. It was better for everyone if they believed her simply aggrieved over the loss of her mother. She certainly didn't care!

But two years had passed. He had _said_ it might be a long while before he could ever return home. But Tifa never even heard _of_ him. He was never in the newspapers. She could not find any _mention_ of him wherever she looked. Her mind often told her that maybe he himself was nothing more than a fading dream. But her heart refused to believe it. And so she waited.

She waited even though it was getting dangerous to do so. Everyone knew of the Mako Reactor atop Mt. Nibel. Everyone knew of the wonderful energy it condensed – allowing them to live in comfortable luxury. And everyone praised the ShinRa Corporation for their ingenuity, and their commitment to progression.

But everyone also knew – or at least those in Nibelheim did – of the problem arising because of the Reactor. Somehow, it was malfunctioning. And due to the malfunction, terrible monsters had been produced. They had been on the prowl for over two months now, and it was dangerous to sit outside, even in the relative security of Nibelheim. People were beginning to panic.

And yet Tifa waited. She would sit outside by the gates, dressed in brown hiking boots, brown shorts, and a typical white shirt. She would wear a brown cowboy hat on her head – the same one that her father used to wear when he had been a boy, and that her mother had simply adored. And she would wait. Always, she would wait.

So it was to no one's great surprise that Tifa was the first to see _them_ come. The ShinRa. Men who would change the fate of the town, and the fate Tifa herself, entirely.

There were four of them. And as the strangers approached, Tifa found herself staring at them in total amazement, her eyes naturally being drawn towards two in particular.

Soldiers. Tifa would later learn that they were, in fact, Soldiers of ShinRa.

One was a tall, imposing figure. With broad shoulders and powerful muscles that were obvious even underneath his thick black clothing – he dressed in layers, the outermost being a great black coat that swept to the ground and boasted silver shoulder-pads – Tifa had a terrible impression of cold indifference. But he had long, soft silver hair and turquoise eyes that glowed piercingly from an otherwise pale face. Despite everything, he was a handsome man.

The other had a much gentler air about him. Tall and powerful in his own right, but no where near so much as the first man, this Soldier walked towards Tifa with a smile. He was dressed in a blue uniform, but did not wear the helmet that the two remaining guards behind him did with their visors covering their faces. He had a friendly one, and his glowing eyes seemed to shine with energy and exuberance. His skin was darker, and his hair was very long and very black.

All four men carried weapons. Tifa didn't fail to notice that. But once again, she was more impressed by the weapons carried by the two Soldiers than she was with the standard ones that the two guards possessed. The first Soldier's sword was long and majestic. Tifa would later learn that its name was the Masamune. The second Soldier's blade was enormous, broad, and hefty. It was called the Buster Sword.

"My name is Zack," the Soldier told her. He gestured towards the colder man. "And this is General Sephiroth. We're Soldiers of the ShinRa, here to fix the Reactor and hopefully solve your monster problem."

Tifa had politely introduced herself, had welcomed them to Nibelheim, and then had disappeared as quickly and gracefully as she could. Of the four men she knew none, and therefore had no real desire to change that fact.

Of course, that had only lasted until she discovered that the newcomers were in need of a guide to get them up to the Mako Reactor. What with that news, she had immediately offered her services. After all, there was nothing she loved more than to climb up that mountain.

The next morning, she stood with her father, Sephiroth, and the two guards, outside in the center of Nibelheim. There were others in the streets as well, most of them captivated by the awesome presence radiating from ShinRa General. None of them had _ever_ seen a man so powerful.

Before long, Zack arrived as well. However, he did a small double-take when he realized Tifa would be joining their party.

"That's right!" she told him bluntly, resenting his surprise. "I happen to be the number one guide in this town."

"It's too dangerous," Zack objected, while Tifa simply rolled her eyes.

Sephiroth stepped in then, glowering at the younger Soldier. "There's no problem if you protect her. Let's go."

And Tifa enthusiastically led the ShinRa towards the mountain, pausing only long enough for a young boy to take a picture of the two Soldiers and her.

After that, they completely left the town behind them, and began their journey up to the Reactor. Before long, they came to a huge chasm, and the easiest way to get across it was over the rope bridge.

Tifa stepped onto it without any hesitation at all. It swung slightly under her weight, and the strange sensation of walking on air with only a few boards separating her and the ground below washed over her. It was a thrilling, exhilarating feel that Tifa delighted in.

It was not the same with the others, though. Sephiroth stepped onto the bridge with the most extreme indifference. Zack followed with obvious reluctance. And one of the guards stood shaking his shielded head. The last guard, however, followed Tifa onto the bridge with as much ease as she had possessed.

Unfortunately, the weight of all five of them proved to be too much. And by the time Tifa heard the ropes snapping, it was too late.

The bridge collapsed.

Tifa let out a shriek as gravity pulled her down. She wasn't the only one screaming, either.

But Sephiroth, with a collected countenance, merely had to touch a small sphere on his belt, and suddenly everything around Tifa flashed white…

**ooooooo**

Tifa groaned, opening her eyes. She had the strangest sense of déjà vu… Pushing herself up onto her knees, she perceived the hard, solid ground beneath her, the dirt, and the fresh, crisp mountain air that swept around her. The sun was glaring down at her in a fierce, familiar way. What was…?

"Are you all right?"

_Cloud…?_

No. When Tifa glanced up, it was just one of the ShinRa guards crouching beside her, helping her up into his robust arms. There was something comforting about the way his hands touched her. Something familiar…

"Is everyone all right?" Zack asked.

Tifa started, having forgotten anyone else was there. Turning round, however, and gently pushing away from the guard, she found herself staring at the two Soldiers. Zack… and Sephiroth.

"Everyone seems to be," the General stated, rather dryly.

"I guess we're lucky you're so handy with your Materia," Zack noted with a small smile forming on his lips.

But Tifa couldn't see why the Soldier seemed so pleased. For, when she glanced around, she could not locate their fourth companion. "We're missing someone…"

Sephiroth glanced at her with a look that clearly stated he couldn't care less. "We don't have time to search for him now."

Tifa stared at him in astonishment. And he must have noticed, for his face seemed to soften considerably.

"Forgive me if that sounds cold."

It certainly did, and Tifa could only shake her head as Sephiroth turned and began making his way back up the side of the mountain. What kind of people abandoned their own men?

Zack glanced sympathetically at Tifa, but said nothing. He followed Sephiroth. Only the guard at her back seemed to understand. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.

But it was a little too comforting. A little too familiar… Tifa closed her eyes miserably, unable to understand the source of all her emotions. She pressed away from the guard, and followed the two Soldiers.

**ooooooo**

Before any time had passed at all, or so it seemed, the diminished band had reached the top of the mountain, and were standing before the Reactor. Along the way, Tifa had led the guard, Zack, and Sephiroth through several mountainous caverns, had learned more about Mako energy, raw Materia, and magic itself than she had ever dreamed possible, and had grown to dislike the ShinRa general a little bit more and more.

But all these thoughts and concerns she pushed aside, for she was standing before the Reactor now, a building that she herself had never _dared_ enter before, and she was up for any challenge.

Unfortunately, Sephiroth didn't seem to share her sentiments. "Only authorized people are allowed in. This place is full of ShinRa's industrial secrets."

So? Who was _she_ going to tell? "But-"

Sephiroth interrupted her, glaring fiercely at the guard. "Take care of the lady."

"Yes sir," the guard agreed, nodding his masked head.

Tifa glowered at each of them in turn, but Sephiroth had spoken in a final tone, and she knew there would be no arguing with him. Not that she was tempted to, anyway. Sephiroth was the kind of person you shied away from. She did not want to try his patience.

So she was silent as Sephiroth advanced into the Reactor. And she was silent as Zack, whose arms were crossed, and who wore a small smirk on his amused face, followed.

She sighed, turning towards the guard. "Think they'll be long?"

"It depends on how quickly they locate the problem, and how readily they are to repair it," he replied softly.

"Oh," Tifa frowned, and for a moment they were left standing in an awkward silence. Then she said: "You don't have to keep that helmet on, you know."

"Actually I do," he replied, just a _little_ too quickly. "I'm on duty. It's a part of my uniform."

"Oh," Tifa bit her lip. "Well. Can you at least tell me your name? Mine's Tifa."

The guard stared at her for a moment, and she suddenly felt very vulnerable before him. Next to Zack and Sephiroth, he hadn't seemed remotely formidable, but now that the two of them were alone, Tifa could tell that he was indeed stronger than she. And with his helmet on, and with his visor covering his face, he lacked expression – he lacked _any_ outward signs of his own humanity. And Tifa suddenly and _desperately_ wished that he would remove that helmet, and assure her that there was in fact a man underneath it.

"You have no need to know my name," the guard finally told her, but in a gentle, sorrowful voice. Tifa could _hear_ the emotion inside of him, which was comforting in itself. If he had spoken those words to her coldly, or indifferently, she felt certain she would have grown mad.

But the expression in his tone reassured her that there was more to his refusal than met the eye. He had a reason for keeping his name a secret, and it was not because he held her in indifference. If anything, it was quite the opposite.

Somewhat satisfied – with what, she did not know – Tifa smiled at him ever so softly. He was okay. There was a courtesy in him that Tifa did not feel in Sephiroth. And there was a gentleness in him that differed from Zack's trying but likable mirth. Tifa could sense this. This guard, this man… despite his secrecy, he wasn't that bad. And Tifa felt that she could be at ease with him.

They remained in silence for at least a quarter of an hour. It was a gentle day. The sky was overcast, yes, but the sun did shine through warmly, and that, mixed with the crisp mountain air was terribly refreshing. Tifa sat down on the ground and savored every moment of it. Oh, she knew she could live like that forever.

Pausing in her thoughts for a second, she wondered dismally what it might feel like to _not_ live in such paradise. What if she were ever separated from this place, this mountain, and Nibelheim altogether?

What would it be like to not have this fresh, cool air? To not have this space and freedom? To not have the sky overhead or the earth beneath her feet? What then?

_What strange premonition is this?_ Tifa took a slow, deep breath and pushed such concerns away. She needn't bother with them. For after all, such things would _never_ happen to her.

Presently, the doors to the Reactor opened, and Sephiroth stormed out. Tifa and the guard both looked up in surprise, but the General paid them no mind. He spoke not a word, and did not even favor them with a glance, but continued on towards the town.

A chill swept through Tifa as the very air around them sparkled with tension. Something wasn't right. Sephiroth was upset, and it was infectious. Besides… he had been holding his Masamune drawn purposefully in his hand. Tifa had never in her live witnessed such intensity. It left her feeling numb with dread.

Zack was suddenly outside with them. He had a look of panic on his face as he turned towards the guard. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," the guard spoke with more familiarity and greater ease with the Soldier than he had with Tifa. She figured the two of them were friends. "What happened, Zack?"

"I don't know," the Soldier shook his head and glanced after Sephiroth. "But I'm gonna find out!" He hastened down the mountain, leaving Tifa and the guard far behind so that they were forced to follow on their own.

**ooooooo**

Later that night, when the darkness outside matched the darkness of her own bedroom, Tifa found herself unable to sleep. She had been restless all evening, and hadn't even managed to change out of her clothes and into pajamas!

Several hours had passed since her return to Nibelheim. Sephiroth and Zack had both long since vanished from her sight, and upon entering the town, her one last companion had stolen away as well. Tifa had been left alone to her own devices, but nothing she could think of doing managed to draw away her nagging sense of unease. Something was wrong.

All was silent.

It had to have been early morning by now. The town was asleep, even if Tifa wasn't. Her father, she knew, was downstairs in his own bedroom, completely oblivious to his daughter's state of mind.

Slipping off her bed, for she had not been under any covers, Tifa felt her way over to her piano, and switched on the small light on the stand. She quietly fingered some of the keys, playing softly so as not to disturb anyone. Not that her father would particularly care about waking up to her music. In the daytime, when she needn't worry about bothering her neighbors, she was quite a talented young musician.

Three notes up.

Three notes down.

Up, up, up, down, up, down, down, up, down.

There was a sudden explosion.

Tifa screamed as the night outside her window lit up in flames.

Falling off the piano stool, she scrambled towards the window and stared outside. There seemed to be fire everywhere! All over the town!

Sweat poured down Tifa's face as her heart began to pound in her throat. What was going on?

The explosion alone had been sufficient to wake up the town. People were scrambling out of their homes and into the streets as the fire began to spread demonically.

"Tifa!"

Her father was suddenly in the room with her. She spun around in horror as he rushed towards her and wrapped his arms around her. "Papa!"

"We need to get outside!" He pulled her with him, half carrying her tightly in his arms as they both frantically made their way out of her bedroom and onto the hall. Already Tifa could see smoke curling inside the house. Breathing it in, she thought she would choke.

They reached the stairs and nearly fell, stumbling their way down before managing to force the front door open. They rushed outside. People were everywhere, running around in panicked circles, desperately trying to work out what to do.

"Lockheart!"

Still clutching his daughter in his arms, Tifa's father spun around to see who had called his name. "Zangan!"

"What's happened?" the town's martial arts master demanded as he hastened over towards the man and his child.

"I don't know!" Lockheart shouted over the roar of the fire. "I doubt anyone saw!"

"It was probably a monster!" Zangan guessed. "It's probably angry about ShinRa's interference up at the Reactor!"

"If that's the case, someone has to go after it!" Lockheart exclaimed. "To stop it!"

"I'll go!" Zangan offered.

"No!" Lockheart shook his head. "You're more of a leader here than I am! Get these people under control and stop the fire! I'll go after the monster!"

"Papa, you can't!" Tifa shouted.

Her father spun her around so that she was facing him. Placing two firm hands on her shoulders, he gazed urgently into her eyes. "Tifa, listen to me! What I have to do now is very important! I want you to stay with Zangan!"

Tears poured down her face. "No papa!"

"Tifa!" he shook her gently. "I need you to be strong for me! Stay with Zangan and help your friends!" With that said, he kissed her on the forehead. Releasing her, he turned and bolted towards the mountain.

Tifa stood staring after him, sobbing, as the flames ripped and tore around her. Zangan was at her back.

"He'll be fine, child," he assured her.

Tifa glanced over her shoulder, looking up at him. "I have to find Stacey and Tara and Joy!" Her three best friends… wherever they were in the town that night.

Zangan nodded his approval. "Go! And be careful!"

Tifa immediately bolted away from him, running as quickly as she possibly could. But not towards the burning homes of any of her friends. She was running towards Mt. Nibel. After her father. Whom she couldn't _bear_ the thought of losing.

The climb was long and arduous. For the first time in her conscious memory, Tifa found the hike intolerable. And it seemed as though it would never end!

As she journeyed away from the smoldering, blazing town, out of the smoke and up into the cool crisp freshness of mountain air, darker than pitch, she felt like she were in a dream, passing from one realm into another strange, new, and terrifyingly different world. One that she was terribly afraid of.

Near the summit, Tifa paused, and glanced back down the mountain from whence she had come. The town seemed so small from here; the huge flames that consumed it no larger than embers.

But as she gazed down at Nibelheim, there was something final about all of it. And suddenly she _knew_ her life was over. Things would never be the same.

Tifa's tears swept down her face harder than ever, and she forced herself to turn around and continue on towards the Reactor.

It wasn't much farther. When Tifa finally reached it, she was grateful to find Mako generated fluorescent lights turned on and situated atop the Reactor, illuminating the surrounding area. Her father was standing by the entrance, gazing at the doors intently, but unsure of what to do. There was certainly no sign of any monster!

"Papa!" Tifa cried.

Lockheart jerked around in surprise. "Tifa?"

She rushed towards him and he caught her, holding her in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, papa!" Tifa cried. "I'm sorry! I know I should have stayed in the town, but I just can't lose you too!"

"Tifa, be silent," Lockheart commanded, his voice lowering considerably. Tifa could feel a greater tension sweep through his body, and she grew still, her terror mounting.

And then she heard it.

Marching footsteps.

Someone was coming.

She clutched her father tighter as they both watched a massive figure step out of the darkness like a coiled, twisted demon. The Reactor's fluorescent lighting cast shadows about him, making him appear every bit like a devil. And Tifa only needed a moment to recognize him.

"Sephiroth…" she whispered.

He approached them at a steady, fixed pace. His face no longer bore indifference, but seemed to _drip_ with hate.

Lockheart sensed the General's hostile malice, and forcibly pushed Tifa away from him. The girl cried out as she stumbled backwards, landing heavily on the ground. She glanced up in terror to see her father turn away from her and rush to meet the Soldier.

Sephiroth didn't miss a step. With his right hand, he drew the Masamune. With his left he reached out to grab Lockheart. Before the man could defend himself at all, the Soldier buried his blade into the man's stomach.

Tifa screamed.

Sephiroth gracefully dropped her father down on the ground and continued towards the Reactor. He was in too much of a hurry to even bother pulling his blade free, but left it there, embedded in Lockheart's torso. Blood spilled everywhere.

"Papa!" Tifa shrieked, scrambling over to his side. He was lying in the dirt, both hands grasping either the blade or his wound – Tifa couldn't tell which. His face was drenched with sweat.

"Tif…" he painfully turned his head to look at his daughter. His eyes were opened wide, and the girl was certain she had never seen them so bright before. His body was convulsing, and he began to choke, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Papa!" Tifa was sobbing now, grasping her father as if his body alone kept her from being sucked into the darkest depths of Hell.

She wasn't sure how much time passed as she gripped her father. All she knew was that, eventually, the man stopped shaking, stopped breathing… and ultimately left her, as her mother had so long ago. Which caused Tifa to cry and shake that much harder herself.

"Did Sephiroth really do this to you?" she choked the question out, though speaking any words at all caused her throat to burn. "Sephiroth… Soldier… Mako Reactors… ShinRa… _everything_… I hate them all…"

Her hands were soaked in blood, but she didn't care. Her vision had gone red, and when she glanced towards her father's wound, all she could see was the silver blade that punctured it. The Masamune…

And as she looked at it, a hate, a rage, a desperate desire for vengeance seized her every thought and sensation – flowed through every vein into the very core of her existence.

Unsteadily, she rose to her feet, her fingers wrapping tightly around the blade's handle. She delicately pulled the sword from her father's chest; it was by far too large for her to hold, and surprisingly heavy. But none of it mattered to Tifa.

Gripping it determinedly, she pushed her way into the Reactor. Behind her, she heard someone shout her name. She ignored the call and pressed onward.

Sephiroth was standing in a great chamber filled with large tubes holding God knew what. He was facing a stairwell that led up to a second door that was closed tightly shut.

"Mother!" he shouted, gazing upward. "I'm here to see you! Please open this door!"

"Sephiroth!" Tifa shouted, tears pouring down her face even still, and now going so far as to slide into her mouth. The taste was like acid. "How could you do this?"

Slowly, Sephiroth moved. Ever so slightly, he turned and glanced towards her with the greatest of acrimony.

More than just a _little_ intimidated, Tifa stepped backwards, hesitating. But then she thought of her father, her home, her entire life! And it all came down to this.

Letting out a small shriek, she charged towards him, holding up the sword. Sephiroth let her come, and moved only when she was directly behind him. Then he twisted away from her, and she completely passed by him.

He did a full pirouette, coming to a stop so that it was his turn to be directly behind her. Reaching one hand out, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back to his chest. And with his other hand, he effortlessly confiscated the Masamune, which he could wield with so much more ease than she could ever dream to.

Tifa screamed, trying to pull away, but Sephiroth held her firmly. It was useless for her to struggle.

"Sephiroth!" Someone was in the room behind them. It sounded like Zack.

The General ignored him, and instead took the Masamune and placed the edge of its blade on Tifa's lower stomach. She panicked, realizing that he was going to kill her.

Her screams grew silent, and instead she gave into him, sobbing. She thought of her father… and her mother…

_I'll be with you again… In only a few minutes… I'll be where you both are…_ She closed her eyes.

The blade pierced her shirt, and slid deeply across her skin. Tifa's mouth opened in a pain-filled gasp as a fire hotter than the flames of Nibelheim seared her entire body.

Sephiroth released her.

She felt herself falling… and falling… and falling…

Dimly, she thought back to a time when she had been falling, much like this, outside, on the edge of the mountain. Only now she did not land on the solid earth.

She landed on the Reactor's cold, cement floor.

There was blood everywhere. _Her_ blood. It was hot and seeped into her mouth, tasting like iron.

"No!"

Sephiroth walked over her, and started up the stairs.

_Papa? Are you with mother now?_

It hurt to breathe. Tifa watched through a strange haze as Zack followed Sephiroth up the steps towards a door that had by now been opened.

_Am I dreaming?_

Sephiroth turned once more and swung the Masamune at Zack. Tifa felt certain he must have fought back, but she couldn't make it all out. It hurt…

The next thing she knew, Zack was falling. He landed on his back, still on the stair well, high above her. She whimpered.

_Why is it taking so long?_

"Tifa!"

She felt her upper body being lifted by some strange force… No… She was being lifted by a _person_.

Someone had taken her by her shoulders and placed her on his lap. She painfully turned her head to look up.

It was the guard…

The guard in whose company she had been left in that afternoon, here at this Reactor. That guard… whose helmet's visor kept his face hidden, even still.

She cried, but smiled. And a strange sense of comfort and relief took hold of her. She didn't know why… but everything was okay now… now that he was here.

Tifa reached one hand up – it was a lot harder than she had hoped it would be to do that – and clutched his blue shirt. She held onto him as tightly as she had held onto her father.

And when he felt fairly certain that she would not slip off his lap and back onto the floor, the guard reached up towards his helmet and hastily pulled it off. He tossed it aside, and when he looked down at her, there were tears in his deep blue eyes.

Her smile swelled, but it was not a happy smile. It was one so full of sorrow. "You promised… you promised that you'd come… when I was in trouble…"

"I'm so sorry I couldn't get here in time to stop this," Cloud whispered.

"…Cloud…"

The young guard glanced up the steps to see where Zack lay. The Soldier was looking down at him, fighting hard to keep conscious – fighting hard to simply survive. "Kill Sephiroth…"

Cloud had a look of pure anguish written across his face. He looked down at Tifa, the one girl he would have done anything to protect. Her face was quickly draining of color. He closed his eyes, unable to prevent his tears from shedding, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up to his chest. He held her for a minute, and then tenderly brushed her forehead with his lips.

Tifa felt his touch, and her spirits lifted. It would all be well. She wasn't ready to die, and now Cloud was here. She could live, and she could be with the one man she had been waiting for so long to see again.

And when her heart would have begun to slow down, she forced it to remain steady.

She felt Cloud gently place her down on the cement once more. She felt his hand stroke her hair from her face. She sensed him going after Sephiroth. And then she was lost to darkness.

**ooooooo**

When Tifa next awoke, she found herself nevertheless trapped that darkness.

Panicking, she bolted upright, and frantically looked in every possible direction for some sign – some _hint_ – of where she was.

Her heart sprinted as her memories slowly returned to her. "Cloud!" She screamed his name, sweat dripping down her face even as her head pounded every time she made a sound. "Cloud!"

A door opened and a light turned on, which caused Tifa to go temporarily blind for a few seconds. But then it passed, and Tifa felt two sets of hands reach out to her and steady her.

She was in a room. It looked like a hospital room. Cold and clean with sanitation. Tifa felt sick.

"Tifa, honey, it's all right!"

She knew that voice.

"Zangan?"

"Yes, honey," the martial arts master of Nibelheim was kneeling at her side. "You're safe now, I promise. You've been terribly hurt, but you're going to get better. Everything's going to be fine."

Completely ignoring the other man, who must have been some kind of ShinRa doctor, Tifa focused instead on Zangan. "Where's Cloud?"

The man frowned. "Cloud?" He stared at her blankly for a moment, but then understanding lit in his eyes. "Do you mean Cloud Strife? The little boy who used to live next door to you?"

"Where is he?" Tifa begged, tears filling in her eyes.

Zangan slowly shook his head. "What do you mean, Tifa? No one has heard a word from him in two years."

"He was in Nibelheim!" Tifa very well near shouted. "I saw him at the Reactor with those Soldiers! He was there! Where is he?"

Zangan gently took her hand in his. He kept shaking his head, a look of worry drawn out on his face. "He wasn't, honey. He wasn't in Nibelheim or at the Reactor. It was a dream."

Tifa stared at him in shock. A dream?

"That's very likely," the other man in the room with them stated. She glanced at him and saw that he was watching her critically. "You were seriously injured, Miss Lockheart. It is not surprising that you experienced some delirium. Trust your guardian. Whoever you think you saw was only a hallucination."

"Guardian?" Tifa looked back at Zangan, and suddenly remembered that her father was dead. And not only that… But Nibelheim was gone. She shivered. "Where are we?"

Zangan stared at her for a moment, and looked, for all the world, as if his heart had been broken into pieces. "We're in Midgar, child."

And that was too much for her.

Tifa broke down into sobs and couldn't bear to stop.

Why was this happening to her?

Whenever Sephiroth struck, his victim perished. Why, then, had Tifa lived?

She had fought to live, because she had faith in being with Cloud again. But he had not been there… He had only been a dream… Why?

Why couldn't he be real? Why couldn't they be together? It wasn't fair!

And why did she have to be in Midgar, when she couldn't bear to be anywhere but on Mt. Nibel?

Why had everything been taken from her?

What had she done wrong?

She couldn't think, and could only cry.

And when the doctor reached towards her with a syringe – no doubt some kind of sedative – she did not resist as he injected it. She simply continued to weep even as she fell back to sleep.

**ooooooo**


End file.
